You can find previous Isolation diaries here.
On a normal Sunday I would go to church, so today is another rather strange one for me. However this is a strangeness that I share with millions of others, not just those in isolation.
My vicar has been recording short services each morning and uploading them to the church’s Facebook page. I have then been embedding them in the church website so people can follow them at any time of day, whether or not they are on Facebook. Today he did a special service for Mothering Sunday.
So this morning I had a choice between listening to Sunday Worship on Radio 4 led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, watching the service from my own church on Facebook, and viewing the BBC1 service televised from St David’s Cathedral (which is a bit of a special place for me). In the end I dropped into all three.
My church has also set up a team ready to help those in self-isolation and other vulnerable people in the community. In fact, as I was writing this a friendly church member contacted us to ask if there was anything we need.
I’m sure that synagogues, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and other places of worship across the country are doing very similar things – moving their services online and reaching out to support, not just their members, but also their wider communities. It would be good to hear about their initiatives.
Both my sons are involved in church life. The older one is a part-time priest in the Church of Ireland; he also works as a music producer. Last Sunday he was preaching on the Radio 4 service from Coleraine, and this week he has been advising churches on how to broadcast themselves.
Our younger son runs an online resource for Christian worship leaders. He has spent this week setting up #SingInTheStorm, which encourages people around the world to sing at 8am each morning, whether they have faith or not. Tracks are available on the site to sing along to, or you can choose your own song.
I’m very proud of both of them.
By the way, I wouldn’t recommend watching the box set of the drama series ‘Keeping Faith’ at this time. Well acted but it’s one long misery-fest.
Please note
We are in self-isolation to protect my husband whose immune system is compromised. We are not quarantined, so we can do one or two things (like going out for a walk) that you can’t do if you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has.
There is full advice on quarantining here, and advice on social distancing for vulnerable people here.
If you are in self-isolation then join the Lib Dems in self-isolation Facebook group.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
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7 Comments
Thanks for that. I wish there was somewhere that brought all the info as to what is happening together. I had a job to sort out what was happening at 8 and 8.10 this morning to pass onto a group of parishioners I am in contact with and this is the first I heard of the TV service. Really important as many elderly people don’t use the internet.
Also one person couldn’t follow the local streamed service on Facebook as her internet speed not fast enough and it kept breaking up.
A lot to learn! But we must. Our local service was so good, and important that those of us that managed it could know we were together,
BBC 1 is going to broadcast a service every Sunday from now on at 11.45am. Yes, it isn’t always easy to get the information, but these are strange times and everyone, including the BBC, is having to improvise.
We videoed our service this morning (a mass – celebrant, reader and intercessor all at very Anglican distances from each other) with the intention of putting it on YouTube and linking to our parish website. Hit all sorts of problems but eventually got it up on GoogleDocs. We have a lot to learn about digitising ourselves!
The church has a community support group set up and poised to be helpful. My street has also set up its own WhatsApp group – half the 30 houses have joined up so far, and among them we find we have an intensive care doctor, an orthopaedic surgeon, three nurses, a psychiatrist, two priests and a DIY-expert ex-carpet-fitter! And this is a pretty undistinguished bit of west London. Still, with that lot (and a neighbour who has just discovered that she is expecting twins in September) we reckon we can cover most eventualities.
Amazing how difficulties bring people together – i’ve lived here for 40 years and never knew any of this before!
In Bangkok
https://christchurchbangkok.org/
And…..when it comes to grocery shopping, how do you know if someone is over 70 or a ‘key worker’? Identification. So, what now Identity Cards?
I am pleased to see that places of worship are to remain open for solitary prayer. It’s clear from the guidance issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/874732/230320_-_Revised_guidance_note_-_finalVF.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0GMC5B8-CKFpjAbcwSoIHUmFhlTtO5htQ4SXVATj4S6rgNKXa15TvUves. Live streaming of services held without a congregation is also possible.
Mary, Thank you for this post it is vital that we come together in compassion.